Fleshing and grading machine



Feb. 5, 1929.

L. A. coGswELL FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 4Sheets-Sheet 7o we@ Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,978

L. A. coGswx-:LL

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 267 l92-2- gets-Sheet. 2

Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,978

L. A. cosswELl..

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 65fZ/n? leander@ @swel Feb. 5, 1929.

1,700,978 L. A. coGswr-:LL

FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE Filed July 26. 1922 y41 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES LEANDER A. COGSWELL, OF' MANCHESTER,

TION OF MAINE.

AParam OFFICE.

Newy HAMPSHIRE, Assumer. ro LACENE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or MANCHESTER,NNW HAMPSHIRE, A consonal FLESHING AND GRADING MACHINE.

Application mea July 2e,

My invent-ion is a machine for ascertaining the grade of a piece ofdried-out stock or leather Wit-h reference to its thinnest portion afterthe manner of the Well-knoivn Nichols evening and gradingv machines, andthen grading and fleshing said stock'. Although my machine is adapted tohandle any kind of cut leather,it isespecially intended for such piecesas usually require to be fleshed such as Welt innersoles and turnoutersoles. One reason that it is customary to flesh such ins nersolcsand outersoles is that the channels must, of course, be tough institching substance and not brittle, and hence it is desirable that theflesh or stringy fibre on the flesh side of the stock should not be cutofi down to the: meat or britt-le part of the stock, but on the otherhand, the loose or flabby portion of the iesh sl'iould be removed. Themore uniform the fieshing is, the better channeling can be done on a`given piece'. Stock of this nature must be fleshed and also grad.- ed,the fleshing being necessary to insurethe best channeling, and thegradingv to enable the Shoemaker to use the right grade of stock for anygiven Work. The grading of this kind of stock has heretofore been doneby hand and my invention enables both the fleshing and the gradi-ng tobe accomplished at one and' the same time, automatically, in the samemachine.Y

A further feature of my invention consists in actually fieshing andgrading the piece `of stock from the very beginning of the blank,especially in case of rands and certain soles which. require not onlyfieshing their entire length but grading,v from the heel'. On the otherhand, my invention permits ieshing theY entire length While grading'less' than ythe entire length, as for example from the ball only ofsole, Whenever s0 desired.

151s my invention is broadly novel in its many featuaesf andcombinations, it Will'be understood. that it may be embodied in a Widevariety of mechanical constructions and' arrangements.

In the preferred embodiment herein sho/Wn,

1; shows the machine in side elevation, partly broken away, andsectional for clearncss of illfu'strati'on;`

Figs. Q` and 3y show in end' elevation and horizontal sectionrespectively, views of the yielding journal box` of the uipp'er gaugeroll Fig. 4l is a. vertical. transverse section ofthe 1922. semina.577,700.

machine showing said yielding upper roll and` lower fleshmg roll m rearelevation Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional details of the j adjustingmechanism for said lower roll, taken respectively at about the points 5and 6, Fig. 4 ;1

Figs. 7 and 84 are perspective views 0f details ofthe sleeves shown inFigs. 1 and 10;

Fig. 9 is abroken detail in top plan of the l front end of the machine;and

Fig. 10'is an kenlarged fragmentary detail in side elevation of aportion of the front part of the machine, showing details of the nmechanismY Which permits the actual grading to begin at the extremeforward. end of the heel ofthe sole as it enters the detecting or feelermechanism.

For more conveniently presenting my invention, I have embodied the sameyin one of the ivell-known commercial types of the Nichols machineassho'wn in general construction in Patent 1,130,321, dated Marc-h 2,1915, and, therefore, I refer to said patent for the generalconstruction and `.opt-fration of many of the parts which. I have madeuse of incarrying out the combinations necessary for the embodiment ofmy invention. Thework pro'- ,ceeds from a table 1 between guides 2, 3 tothe feeler rolls 4, 5 WhichA also act as feed rolls, and thence beneatha' trip or shoe 6 adjustable on a rod 7 projecting from a rocker shaft 8on Whose outer end is an arm 9 carrying a post 10 in position to' engagethe rear end 11 of a l pavvl 12 to release the same from the'thinness-measuring' teeth 13 of a ratchet Wheel 14 fast on a shaft 15.`Shaft 15 carries loosely a segmental rack 16 engaged With thecorrespondingly toothed end y17 of an yactuating lever 18 responsive tothe movement ofV the roll 5',r all as shown and described in connectionwith further details in said patent, to gether with: a locking: pawl 19in position to engage the ratchet teeth 2O of the ratchet v connected bya rod 30 to the shaft or journal 31 ofthe upper gauge roll? 3Q (usingthis term n as in the Nichols patents) at' the outgoing 4 54 of theframe of the machine.

end of the machine. Beneath this upper roll is a lower roll 33 whichcooperates with a knife 34. The shaft 15 carries a crank or bracketblock 35 against which the movable sector 16 strikes when actuated bythe sector 17 (said two sectors being held to each other by a spring 36)and thereby actuating the shaft 15 and a segmental rack or gear 37meshing Vwith a rack 38 which in turn meshes with a pinion 39 at thelower end of a shaft 40 at whose upper end is a pinion 41 to actuate arack bar 42 connected by a link 43, see F ig. 4, with a gradingmechanism which as herein shown is a marker, although any form of gradermay be employed. Briefly, the marker consists of a swinging toothedsector 44 engaging a pinion 45 at the lower end of a reciprocatingcarrying post 46 to set and actuate a marking wheel 47 driven down by apropelling arm 43 and spring 49, all as in the Nichols patent aforesaid.

lThe lower roll 33 has its journals carried on a yoke 50, best shown inFig. 4, supported on posts`51, 52 threaded into bosses 53 on yoke 50 attheir upper ends and mounted to turn loosely at their lower ends in across bar rlhese posts are turned by worm nuts 55, worms 56, 57, shaft58 and hand-wheel 59, the worm 57 being splined for longitudinalmovement when desired. rlhus, by t-urning the hand-wheel 59 one way orthe other-` the fixed distance between the lieshing roll 33 and theknife 34 is determined, said roll being moved up or down in parallelismto itself when both worms 56 and 57 are in engagement with their nuts55, but said roll may be adjusted angular-ly, i. e., one end moved up ordown in relation to the other byr simply shifting the worm 57 out ofengagement with its nut and then turning the hand-wheel 59, suchadjustment being desirable to bring the roll 33 into true position forany given knife or for instance, when a knife happens to be set orground so as to require it. The first adjustment mentioned determinesthe thickness of the fleshing operation, usually about one-half iron(one ninety-sixth of an inch). The worm 57 may be held fast to the shaft58 by means of a set screw as indicated in Fig. 4. The upper gauge roll32 has divided or recessed journal boxes, see Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in whichare mounted heavy springs 60 preferably elliptical or in shape like acarriage spring, above which springs are the lower wedge blocks 61 heldin place on the springs by screw bolts 62 tapped into the journal. boxproper. Above these wedge bloclks are the upper wedge blocks 63 fast onthe rack plate or bar42, being the same in construction and operation asthe corresponding adjusting wedges 27 in the Nichols patent aforesaid.The arrangement is such that either or both of thesesprings may yieldenough to talke care of the thickness of the sole in excess of the thinpart detected.

As the lower roll 33 does not yield and as soles are always more or lessuneven, these springs are provided in connection with the gauging rollto accommodate this uncvenness and they are of such shape and the recesscontaining them is milled out to such a depth as to permit yieldingmovement to theextent which is liable to be required by the thickest ormost uneven sole.V

To make certain that the blank will be acted upon from theextremeforward end of the blank, or heel of the sole, or front end of a rand, Isecure to the projecting end of the rocker shaft 64 of the sector lever18, a swinging arm 65 which carries at its upper end a finely toothedwheel or gear 66 adapted to mesh with a pinion 67 on the outerprojecting end of the axle of the upper roll 4, said swinging arm beingunder normal impulse by spring 68 to bring theteeth of the gear 66 intoengagement with pinion 67. Just below this gear and pinion is an arm ordouble lever pivoted at 69 to the khead or frame of the machine andhaving a part 70 projecting into lifting engagement beneath a pin 71 onthe post 10 and a part 72 projecting in the opposite direction. The endof part 72 is provided with a hook-like member 74, which embraces theupper cam-shaped end 73 of the lever 26. An adjustable bearing stud 75mounted in the end of lever 72 engages the cam surface of member 73. Thewheel 66 has a depressing cam 76 on its inner face in position to engagethe leverlmember 72 to depress the same when saidwheel is rotated so asto bring the caminto 'engagement there- 5 with. A stop 77 adjustable ina slot 7 S of said wheel is in position to strike against the arm 65 tocontrol the position of the wheel when not engaged with the pinion 67. Aspring 79 normally tends to turn the wheel when the latter is free, soas to bring the said stop into said engagement and thereby always insurethat the wheel shall be in proper position when swung into engagementwith the pinion 67 When set as shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious thatthevinstant the piece of leather enters between the rolls 4, 5 and thewheel 66 engages the pinion 67, the cam 76 will: immediately depressmember 72 and raise member 70 of the tripping lever and thereby raisethe post 10 and permit the measuring pawl 12 to engage its teeth 13 andtherefore start measuring the leather piece from its very extremeforward end.. By changing the adjustment of the stop 77 (or depending onthe trip 6) the grading may beginback from the front end of the blank asmay be desired, but without changing the lieshing for the entire lengthof the blank; so that, for instance, a sole may be graded from the ballto the rear or toe-end and fleshed its entire length from the heel-endto the toeend. In view of the fact that the toothed sector arm 18 has avariable extent of swinging nio-vement,l have provided the lower end ofther arm 65 with a sleeve 80 loosely. mounted on the shaft 64; andhaving a notched outer end 81 adapted to c perate with the notched end82' of a holding collar 83 spit at 8a, to be clamped on thev outer endof the shaft 6a in position to hold the arm 65 and yet permitlimitedswinging movement of said arm.

In operation, the Iieshing roll', or splitting roll 33 is first adjusteddownwardly from the cutting edge of the knife 34k by turning the handle59A enough to regulate the amount of flesh to be removed from the fieshside of the sole, (usually one-half iron or a ylittle more). If theknife and roll are not in accuratev parallelism the worm 57 is slidalong its shaft 5S. out of rotating engagement with its' worm wheel 55so as to leave the screw 52 idle and the other screw -1 is operated upor down until the true parallelism is secured, whereupon the Worm 57 isbrought again into engagement with its wheel so that thereafter theoperation of the hand-wheel 59 will move the splitting roll up or downin true parallelism to itself and to the knife. The soles are then fedthrough the machine in the usual manner, heilig fed by hand, or otherwise,` one by one, between the guides 2, 3 and thence between the rolls1, 5 to be graded to the lightest or thinnest place and stamped by theymarking wheel t7 which is set automatically to the thin place detected,in well-known manner. If the stock requires to be graded from itsextreme forward end, the cam wheel G6 is set as shown in the drawingsand the moment the lever 18 is depressed by the lowering` of the feelerroll 5 the shaft` 64 thereby instantly permits the arm 65 to swing so asto` couple together the wheel Gti-fand pinion 67 with the result thatthe cam 76 of said i el depresses the right-hand end 72 of the liftinglever, therebyl raising theend 70 and Cil through the pest 7 landtail-end 11 engages the measuring pawl 12 with its ratchet 13 so thatthe measuring begins to take place at once from the extreme forward endofthe stock.. This same movement of the member 72 operates through theparts 78, 74, 7 to disengage the lifting rod 26 from its holdingengagement with the arm andv thereby leaves the gate 23 in position tofall when the stock passes forward from beneath its free end. As itfalls it locks the measuring wheel' 14 by the engagement therewith ofthe pavvl 19.Y Meanwhile the movement of this wheel 14 has operatedthrough the toothed' sectors 16 and 17 and through parts 37, 38, 39',40, 42', etc. to set the marker, and as the stock is fed along it ismarked thereby in due order, the same as in the patent aforesaid as itenters and raises the gauge roll 32. Al# though the lifting of the gaugeroll by the stock causesthe wedge cams 61 to engage the opposite steppedwedges 63 in the posi tion to which the latter have been adjusted by thefeelcr mechanism, the stock is simply maintained in accuratelleshingengagement with the knife and is fleshed according to the adjustment ofthe roll 38,k because rthe springs in the journal boxes of the upperroll are compelled to yield to any extra thickness of the piece of stockand yet are sufficiently strong to hold the stock unyieldingly infieshing position. Because of this construction the stock is simplyfleshed to the desired extent, and yet, although said stock is of uneventhickness, the yielding roll 32 maintains substantially uniform pressureon the stock. Having been set by the automatic detecting and settingmechanism, the roll 32 is adjusted with reference to the thinnestpoint,v and, therefore, can never be at a further distance from the roll33 than it should be for proper Work, and hence the pressure on thestock will always bepresent and imperfect lieshing cannot take place,the 'springs 6'() taking up all the extra thickness of the. stock whichexists between the said thinnest measureniient and the 'tleshingthickness to which the roll 33 has been set and which is being removedfrom theflesh side of the stock.

It will be understood that my invent-io may be embodied in variousmechanical combinations, the one herein shown and described being bestadapted to purposes of explanation and illustration. Also it will heunderstood that various sub-coinl'iinations, as hereinafter claimed, areuseful in other relations and that various other arrangements andcombinations of parts, all within the scope of the claims hereinaftercontained, are within the purview of my invention.

`My invention is further defined in connection with my claims asfollows:

1. In a machine of the kind described, in combination, means formeasuring a blank, splitting mechanism adapted to remove from onesurface of thefblank` a thin sheet of uniform thickness irrespective ofvariations in thickness of the blank as whole, leaving the relativelythick body of the blank containing its original variations in thickness,and mechanism responsive to said measuring means for grading t-he blankas measured.

2. ln a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade ofa blank, and i-eshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thicknessfrom the flesh side of the blank,` combined with a stock engaging memberresponsive to said detecting means for maintaining pressure on the grainside of the blank in opposition to said flesliing mechanism.

3, In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade ofa blank, leshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness fromthe fiesh side of the blank, combined with a yielding stock engagingmember responsiveA to said detecting iso iso

means for maintaining yielding pressure on thc grain side of the blankin opposition to said fleshing mechanism.

al. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade ofa blank, fleshing mechanism for removing a predetermined thickness fromthe flesh side of the blank, combined with a stock engaging memberresponsive to said detecting means for maintaining substantially uniformpressure on the grain side of the blank in opposition to said licshingmechanism.

5. A machine of' the kind described comprising means for detecting' thegrade of a blank of stock according to thickness, fleshing mechanism forren'ioving a predetermined thickness from the flesh side of the blank,an adjustable and yielding stock engaging member for maintainingpressure on the stock in opposition to the fleshing mechanism, and meansresponsive to the detecting means to control the adjustment of saidstock engaging member in accordance with the thinnest spot of the blankas determined by the detecting means.

6. A machine of the kind described comprising grading mechanism,lieshing mechanism having an adjustable pressure member, and meanscommon to the grading mechanism and the fleshing mechanism forcoordinating the same comprising `grade detecting means to which botht-he grading mechanism and Vthe pressure member of the fleshingmechanism are responsive, said fleshing mechanism being adapted toremove from the flesh side of the blank a layer of uniform thicknessirrespective of variations in thickness of the blank as a Whole.

7. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade ofa blank, means for usefully perpetuating said detection, and fleshingmechanism for removing a predetermined thickness from the flesh side ofthe blank, combined With a pressure device for maintaining pressure inaccordance with the grade of the blank on the grain side of the blank inopposition to said fleshing mechanism.

S. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for detectingthe grade of a blank for a desired extent of the length of the blank,grading mechanism responsive to said feeler mechanism for classifyingthe blank according to said detection, and fleshing mechanism, theaforesaid mechanisms including a splittingknife, an unyielding fleshing`roll having fixed adjustment with relation to the knife for determiningthe thickness to be split from said blank, an opposite yielding pressureroll for maintaining sulstantially uniform pressure on said blank whilebeing fleshed, and setting connections for controlling said pressureroll according to the grade of said blank.

9. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, mecl'ianismfor detecting the grade of a blank, and fleshing mechanism for removinga predetermined thickness from the flesh sido of the blank, said twomechanisms being constructed and arranged to be capable of fleshing ablank for its entire length and detecting said blank for less than itsentire length. i

l0. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, mechanismfor detecting the grade of a blank for the Whole or part of its lengthas desired, and fleshing mechanism for removing a substantially uniformthickness from the fiesh side the entire length of said blank.

ll. In a machine of the kind described, in combination, means formeasuring a blank, leshing mechanism adapted to remove from the fleshside of the blank a. layer of uniform thickness irrespective ofvaria-tions in thickness of the blank as a Whole, and mechanismresponsive to said measuring means for grading the blank as measured.

12. In a machine of the kind described, means for detecting the grade ofa blank and splitting mechanism for removing from one side of the blanka predetermined thin layer of uniform thickness irrespective ofvariations in thickness of the blank as a Whole, leaving a relativelythick layer containing its original variations in thickness, combinedwith a blank engaging member responsive to said detecting mechanism formaintaining pressure on the other side of the blank in opposition tosaid splittingl mechanism.

13. In a machine of the kind described, means for detectingthe grade ofa blank and splitting mechanism for removing from one side of the blanka predetermined thin layer of uniform thickness irrespective ofvariations in thickness of the blank as a Whole, leaving a relativelythick layer containing its original variations in thickness, combinedwith a yielding blank engaging member responsive to said detectingmechanism for maintaining pressure on the other side of the blank inopposition to said splitting mechamsm.

14. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, means fordetecting the thinnest measurement of a blank, grading mechanismresponsive to said detecting means, and setting mechanism for settingthe grading mechanism Wit-h reference to the detecting means, includingmeans for rendering said setting mechanism responsive from the extremeforward end of the blank. and fleshing mechanism for fleshing the blankbeinggraded, adapted to remove from the flesh side of the blank a layerof uniform thickness irrespective of variations in thickness of theblank as a Whole;

15. A machine of the kind described, having, in combination, detectingmeans for detecting the thinnest measurement .of a blank,

llO

and mechanism for flashing and grading the blank in response to thedetecting means, said fes mechanism being constructed Vand operating toremove from the entire flesh side of the blank the same thickness/and to'grade the blank with reference to the thinnestspot as determined bysaid dete '-g 16. A machine ofthe'kind described, comprising 4asplitting knife, a fleshing roll for determining the thickness of thestock to be split by said knife from a blank, an opposite cooperatingpressure roll, and mechanism for automatically regulating said pressureroll according to the grade of the given blank being split.

17. A machine of the kind described, comprising a splitting knife, afieshing roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split bysaid knife from a blank, means for adjusting said fleshing roll towardand from said knife, an opposite cooperating pressure roll, andmechanism for automatically regulating said pressure ro-ll according tothe grade of the given blank being split.

18. A machine of the kind described, comprising a splitting knife, afleshing roll for determining the thickness of the stock to be split bysaid knife from a blank, an opposite yielding cooperating pressure roll,and mechanism for automatically regulating said pressure roll accordingto the grade of the given blank being split.

19. A. machine of the kind described, comprising means for measuring ablank, a splitting knife, a splitting roll for determining the thicknessof the stock to be split by said knife from the blank, an oppositeadjustable pressure roll for maintaining pressure on the blank inopposition to said splitting knife and splitting roll, and meansresponsive to said measuring means for governing the adjustment of saidpressure roll according to the measurement of the blank being split.

20. A machine of the kind described, comprising means for measuring ablank, a splitting knife, an unyielding splitting roll for determiningthe thickness of the stock to be split by said knife from the blank, anopposite adjustable pressure roll for maintaining pressure on the blankin o-pposition to said splitting knife and splitting' roll, springsadapted to exert independent yielding pressure at each end of thepressure roll, and means responsive to said measuring means forgoverning the adjustment of said pressure roll according to themeasurement Vof the blank being split.

21. A machine of the kind described, comprising feeler mechanism fordetermining the thinnest place in a blank, a pressure device, andsetting mechanism for setting` said pressure device in accord ance Withsaid feeler determinations, combined with iieshing mechanism adapted toremove from one surface of the blank a thin sheet of uniform thicknessirrespective ofvariationsin thickness ofthe blank asa whole, While theblank,

prising iieshing.niechanisim a'yielding pressure devicel cooperatingtherewith, and mechanism `responsive toa characteristic of the blank tobe fleshed for automatically setting said pressure device in accordancewith said characteristic.

23. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving ablank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled bysaid feeler mechanism including a. ratchet and a normally disconnectedmeasuring pawl, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of the extremeforward end of the blank to said feeler mechanism for engaging saidmeasuring` paWl With said ratchet, thereby rendering said controlledmechanism operatively responsive to said feeler mechanism.

24. In a machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving ablank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled bysaid feeler mechanism, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of theblank to said feeler mechanism for operatively connecting said feelermechanism With said controlled mechanism, said connecting mechanismincluding a swinging gear on one part and a. cooperating gear on theother, said swinging gear being caused to swing by the presence of theblank.

25. In avmachine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receiving ablank and detecting a characteristic thereof, mechanism controlled bysaid feeler mechanism, and mechanism responsive to the entrance of theblank to said feeler mechanism for operatively connecting said feelermecha-nism with said controlled mechanism, said connecting mechanismincluding a swinging gear on one part and a cooperating gear on theother, said [swinging gear being caused to swing by the presence of theblank, and a cam actuated by one of said gears to effect the couplingtogether of said connection of said mechanisms.

26. In a `machine of the kind described, feeler mechanism for receivinga blank and detecting the thinnest measurement thereof, mechanismcontrolled by said feeler mechanism including a. ratchet and a normallydisconnected thinness measuring paivl, and mechanism responsive to theentrance ofthe extreme forward end of the blank to said feeler mechanismfor engaging said thinness measuring pawl with said ratchet, therebyrendering said controlled mechanism operatively responsive to themeasurement of the thinnest part of the Whole blank as determined by thefeeler mechanism.

27. A machine of the kind described coniprising means for detecting thegrade of a blank, combined With splitting mechanism including asplitting knife and two opposed blank engaging members, one of which is`5 movable toward and from the other, an adjustable abutment blockresponsive to said detecting means and a coacting abutment on saidmovable blank engaging member, and

means to exert yielding pressure onv the latter blank engaging memberWhen said abutments are in engagement to maintain pressure on the blank`in opposition to the knife and the other blank engaging member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LEANDER A. COGSWELL.

